


new hope

by hhwgv



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 00:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16586840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hhwgv/pseuds/hhwgv
Summary: When Jean joins the Trojans, he has a hard time getting along with his new teammates. Jealousy causes one to act out, but his "harmless" prank hits a little too close to home.





	new hope

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the square _folding paper cranes_ on the [Jerejean Bingo Card](https://aftgbingo.tumblr.com/post/178378864675/all-for-the-game-bingo-2018-card-2-jerejean)  
> I wanted to do something I didn't think anyone else would do for the prompt, so I interpreted it loosely. There are some mentions of abuse, and there's also a glimpse of angry Jeremy.

It was nearly impossible for Jean to unlearn the years of behaviour that had been drilled into him during his time at Evermore – stand up straight, no fidgeting, remain silent unless spoke to, play through the pain – and, as a result, he had a difficult time bonding with his new teammates. The two teams were incomparable – the Ravens were dark and stoic, known to play dirty, with complete disregard of other players, while the Trojans were the goody-two-shoes of NCAA Exy. Jean wasn’t taught to pity the players he bowled over, he didn’t know how to do anything but play.

As clueless as some of his new teammates thought he was, he knew what they thought of him. He heard the whispers in the locker room and had caught them staring at his scars more than once. They thought he was broken, that he was damaged goods. More than once, he’d walked into the room and overheard one or more of his teammates asking Jeremy if he thought that Jean could be trusted, only for the group to fall silent when they saw him.

Jean knew that it wasn’t easy for Jeremy – he constantly had to act as a mediator between Jean and the rest of the Trojans, constantly fighting on Jean’s behalf. Jeremy was kind and hardworking – everything a captain should be.

They were less than a week out from their first game of the season, and Jean couldn’t help the anxiety that ran through his veins. He felt an intense pressure to perform well, to prove that he had adapted to Trojan ideologies. As a result, he found himself standing at center court, taking in the stadium around him.

There was a part of himself that didn’t believe it was real, that didn’t believe the freedom he’d been given was permanent. Deep down, he couldn’t help but think that Riko wasn’t truly gone, that he was going to come back and claim him – like someone picking up their lost dog from the pound. He clutched an exy ball in his crooked figures, closing his eyes and trying to convince himself that his freedom was not going to be ripped from him.

With a grunt, he threw the ball against the glass as hard as he could. The bang echoed throughout the stadium and Jean felt something within him breaking down. He’d been taught not to cry or feel, to push everything down into the darkness within himself, and that’s exactly what he did. He straightened his spine and squared his shoulders, regaining his composure and adjusting his mask.

Jean walked off the court and into the locker room to collect the belongings he’d left there on his way in. He stopped in his tracks when he saw something on his backpack that wasn’t there before – an origami crane, made from ornate red paper. He wasn’t sure where it came from, he’d never even noticed that there was someone else in the building. A chill ran down his spine, his first thought _Riko_. He picked up the bird, unfolding it to find the word “ _WATCH_ ” scrawled across it in large black letters.

Fear sat heavily on his chest and he looked around wildly – it was a feeling he was familiar with, something he’d felt every day he spent at Evermore. He crumpled the paper and shoved it into his backpack before slinging his bag over his shoulder and hurrying back to the dorm.

When he got there, he saw Jeremy sitting in the living room surrounded by textbooks, soft music playing from his phone. “Hey,” Jeremy looked up with a cheerful smile.

Jean nodded instead of saying hello, his anxiety trapping his words in his throat. He didn’t linger or try to make small talk. He made a beeline to his room, locking the door behind him. The rational side of his brain told him that he was being paranoid – Riko was _dead_ , he’d been killed by the Moriyamas months earlier. However, he couldn’t help but think of the crane and Riko’s words echoing through his mind. “ _Watch your back._ ” It was something Riko had told him nearly every day, and at the end of it, _“You will always belong to **me**._”

Sleep didn’t come to Jean that night – nightmares from the Nest filled his mind and he jumped at every little noise. He was still awake when his alarm went off for early morning practice and he pushed himself out of bed. His body was heavy with exhaustion but all of his prior training told him that missing a practice was unacceptable, there was never a valid excuse. He stumbled into the bathroom, rubbing his eyes in a desperate attempt to rid himself of the sleepiness.

“Morning!” Jean said as Jean left the bathroom, way too chipper for this early in the morning. Jean mumbled a hello in response before retreating to his bedroom to get ready for practice.

It wasn’t a long walk to the stadium, but Jean walked at a brisk pace, hyper-aware of his surroundings. The first few practices, Jeremy had insisted on walking with him, but it made Jean more than a little uncomfortable. He needed to be alone, to mentally prepare himself before practice.

Jean felt his teammates’ eyes on him as he walked to his locker, but he pretended he didn’t notice them. He kept his chin up as he opened his locker, trying to project confidence to everyone around him. He pulled the door open, his body jerking to a halt when he saw it.

A tiny paper crane nestled among his gear.

It was made from the same paper as the one he’d found the night before. The familiar feeling of fear pooled in his gut but he was desperate to hide his reaction. He snatched the crane up quickly, hoping no one had seen it. He unfolded it to find the word “ _YOUR_ ” written in the same script as the last one.

Jean jumped when he heard Jeremy’s voice behind him. “Jean? You coming man?” he sounded concerned, and when Jean turned around he was shocked to find the locker room empty.

He shook off the fog that had settled over him. “Yes,” Jean answered, “I will be there right away.” He crumpled the paper and threw it back into his locker, grabbing his gear and changing in record time. He pushed himself at practice, not allowing himself to think about anything other than exy.

But it didn’t matter how hard he pushed, in his mind Riko and exy were intertwined.

That day, Jean spent every class looking over his shoulder. He didn’t absorb any of the information the professors threw at him, he was too busy watching for the Moriyamas at every turn. He felt weak and terrified, his heart pounding in his chest every time he saw a flash of black hair. He was relieved when he got back to his dorm room, closing the door and locking it quickly.

He heard muffled voices coming from Jeremy’s room – a group of his teammates laughing and bonding, things that were completely alien to Jean. He went to his room to drop off his books before grabbing something to eat from the kitchen. His heart nearly stopped when he found another red crane sitting prominently on the desk. He picked it up, afraid of what it would say. His hands shook as he unfolded it, his breath catching in his chest when he saw the word scrawled on the paper. “ _BACK_.” It was underlined several times, aggression evident in that singular word.

Jean dropped the paper on his desk and backed out of the room, every single instinct he had telling him that something bad was coming. He stared at the paper on his desk, never taking his eyes off of it, when he ran into something soft and warm. Jean nearly jumped out of his skin, expecting pain to follow closely behind.

“Hey, Jean,” the voice was soft, definitely not one of the Moriyamas. “What’s wrong?”

“R…Riko,” Jean couldn’t help but stutter fear overtaking his tongue. “He… he’s…”

“He’s dead,” Jeremy reminded him gently. “He can’t hurt you here.”

“No,” Jean shook his head, on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. “He’s here… he’s coming for me. The…the cranes…”

“What? What are you talking about?” Jeremy asked, searching Jean’s face for an answer.

A chuckle came from Jeremy’s open doorway and they both turned to see one of their teammates standing there with a cocky grin on his face. Number 42. Jean didn’t remember his name – at Evermore, players were known primarily by their numbers. “Did you like my message?” 42 locked eyes with Jean.

Jean didn’t respond, desperately trying to regain his icy façade. He took a deep breath to calm himself. “I do not know what you mean,” he answered, forcing himself to sound disinterested.

“Oh, come on. You know,” the boy laughed again.

“Well, why don’t you explain it to me,” Jeremy said before Jean could muster a response. Authority was evident in his voice.

“It was just a prank,” 42 replied, any of the bravado he’d had previously vanishing from his face.  “I thought it would be funny…”

“What kind of prank?” Jeremy asked, anger playing at the edge of his voice – something Jean had never heard. Number 42 was quiet for a moment, causing Jeremy to ask again. “What did you do?”

Number 42 looked down at his feet, unwilling to meet Jeremy’s gaze. “I-left-him-notes-telling-him-to-watch-his-back.” He spat it out like it was all one word, as though saying it quickly made it better.

Jean saw the tension building in Jeremy’s shoulders as he stared at 42 in disbelief. “You threatened him?” Jeremy demanded, fighting to control his anger.

“No, I didn’t mean to,” 42 tried to defend himself.

“But you did,” Jeremy interjected. “Why? Why would you do something like that?”

“I was jealous, okay?” 42 snapped, his voice a little louder than necessary. “I mean, he joined the team this year and he’s already higher rank than me? I’ve worked my ass off for two years and I hardly get a chance to play!” It sounded like 42’s voice was about to break. “It’s not –”

“It’s not fair?” Jeremy cut him off. “It’s not Jean’s fault that he’s ahead of you in the line-up.” Any control Jeremy had maintained was gone. He wasn’t yelling, but Jean felt the danger in his voice and he knew that 42 did too. “If you have an issue with it, you talk to me or coach, you don’t fucking threaten another player.” Jeremy paused for a moment, eyeing 42 like he was someone completely new. “Get out, I’ll talk to you later.”

The boy couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes as he scurried back into Jeremy’s room to grab his stuff before practically sprinting out the door.

“I’m sorry about that,” Jeremy turned to Jean, his voice significantly softer. Any of the anger in his voice had dissipated and his eyes were apologetic. “I had no idea that he would do something like that.”

“It is okay,” Jean replied. He walked past Jeremy towards the kitchen, trying to avoid the strange intimacy that existed in that moment. “I overreacted.”

“I’m sorry,” Jeremy repeated. Jean hated it. “It won’t happen again.”

“Alright,” Jean said coldly, rummaging through the refrigerator. There was a part of him that didn’t believe that it was 42, that still thought Riko was behind everything. That Riko was here.

Jean felt Jeremy’s eyes on him, watching his every move intently. “Look, Jean,” he started, interrupting the silence Jean desperately craved. “I’m not going to ask you about your time at Edgar Allan.”

“Good,” Jean cut in. “Because I will not talk about it.”

“And that’s fair,” Jeremy nodded. “But we’re teammates now, and I want you to know that I’m here for you no matter what.” He turned to walk back to his room, where more of their teammates were waiting, doubtlessly eager to know about the situation with 42.

Jean stopped pretending to be interested in the refrigerator, straightening up and resting his arm on the door. “Hey, Jeremy,” he said softly. Jeremy paused, looking back at him. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Jeremy grinned before walking back into his room, leaving the door open behind him.

Warmth spread through Jean’s chest as he grabbed a drink from the refrigerator – it was a feeling he hadn’t known since he was a child. Hope was beginning to blossom inside of him and he felt like there was a possibility that, one day, he and Jeremy might become friends.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!
> 
> Feel free to come visit me on [tumblr](andminyard.tumblr.com)


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